Improvement of Data-Intensive Applications Running on Cloud Computing Clusters

MapReduce, designed by Google, is widely used as the most popular distributed programming model in cloud environments. Hadoop, an open-source implementation of MapReduce, is a data management framework on large cluster of commodity machines to handle data-intensive applications. Many famous enterprises including Facebook, Twitter, and Adobe have been using Hadoop for their data-intensive processing needs. Task stragglers in MapReduce jobs dramatically impede job execution on massive datasets in cloud computing systems. This impedance is due to the uneven distribution of input data and computation load among cluster nodes, heterogeneous data nodes, data skew in reduce phase, resource contention situations, and network configurations. All these reasons may cause delay failure and the violation of job completion time. One of the key issues that can significantly affect the performance of cloud computing is the computation load balancing among cluster nodes. Replica placement in Hadoop distributed file system plays a significant role in data availability and the balanced utilization of clusters. In the current replica placement policy (RPP) of Hadoop distributed file system (HDFS), the replicas of data blocks cannot be evenly distributed across cluster\u27s nodes. The current HDFS must rely on a load balancing utility for balancing the distribution of replicas, which results in extra overhead for time and resources. This dissertation addresses data load balancing problem and presents an innovative replica placement policy for HDFS. It can perfectly balance the data load among cluster\u27s nodes. The heterogeneity of cluster nodes exacerbates the issue of computational load balancing; therefore, another replica placement algorithm has been proposed in this dissertation for heterogeneous cluster environments. The timing of identifying the straggler map task is very important for straggler mitigation in data-intensive cloud computing. To mitigate the straggler map task, Present progress and Feedback based Speculative Execution (PFSE) algorithm has been proposed in this dissertation. PFSE is a new straggler identification scheme to identify the straggler map tasks based on the feedback information received from completed tasks beside the progress of the current running task. Straggler reduce task aggravates the violation of MapReduce job completion time. Straggler reduce task is typically the result of bad data partitioning during the reduce phase. The Hash partitioner employed by Hadoop may cause intermediate data skew, which results in straggler reduce task. In this dissertation a new partitioning scheme, named Balanced Data Clusters Partitioner (BDCP), is proposed to mitigate straggler reduce tasks. BDCP is based on sampling of input data and feedback information about the current processing task. BDCP can assist in straggler mitigation during the reduce phase and minimize the job completion time in MapReduce jobs. The results of extensive experiments corroborate that the algorithms and policies proposed in this dissertation can improve the performance of data-intensive applications running on cloud platforms

Experimental and analytical studies in fluids

The first objective was to analyze and design a true airspeed sensor which will replace the conventional pitot-static pressure transducer for small commercial aircraft. The second objective was to obtain a numerical solution and predict the frequency response which is generated by the vortex whistle at a certain airspeed. It was concluded flow rate measurements indicate that the vortex tube sound frequency is linearly proportional to the frequency response. The vortex tube whistle frequency is dependent upon geometrical parameters to such an extent that: an increase in vortex tube length produces a decrease in frequency response and that an increase in the exhaust nozzle length produces an increase in the frequency precession. An increase in the vortex tube diameter produces a decrease in frequency precession. An increase in swirler diameter produces a decrease in frequency. An increase in the location distance of the microphone pickup signal point from the inside edge of the exit nozzle produces an increase in frequency response. The experimental results indicate that those parameters most significantly effecting frequency are in descending order of importance microphone location, vortex tube diameter, exit nozzle length, vortex tube length, and swirler diameter

The (Non-)Orthodox Tradition, the (Non-)Orthodox Everydayness

Welche Beziehung besteht zwischen der christlich-orthodoxen Tradition und dem Alltag der Menschen? Der Sammelband Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice beschreibt mit anthropologischen Mitteln das religiöse Beten als eine in flexiblen Kontexten, Hierachien und perönlichen Beziehungen eingebettete Praxis. Die Autoren der Kapitel argumentieren dabei, dass ein ‚orthodoxes‘ Leben durch die alltäglichen Interaktionen, die während der Gebete entwickelt werden, einerseits möglich gemacht, andererseits jedoch ebenso erschwert wird. Was Menschen hören, sehen und sagen, selbst wenn sie privat beten, kann daher als kontinuierliches Beziehungsmilieu angesehen werden, in dem die ‚richtigen‘ ethischen Normen der christlich-orthodoxen Tradition verhandelt und bestimmt werden.What is the relation between the Christian Orthodox tradition and people’s everyday lives? The volume, Praying with the Senses: Contemporary Orthodox Christian Spirituality in Practice, edited by anthropologist Sonja Luehrmann, aims to “describe the workings of prayer in a tradition where hierarchies and prescriptions matter but where they are deployed through flexible and highly personal relationships” (p.12). In doing so, the authors of the chapters argue that living ‘the perfect Orthodox’ life is made both possible and difficult through the everyday interactions that people develop during their prayers. Hence, what people hear, see, and say even when they privately pray can be considered continuous relational milieux for negotiating and determining the ‘right’ ethical norms of the Christian Orthodox tradition

Doing Fieldwork in Revolutionary Times

In ihrer zweiten Monographie Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times illustriert die Anthropologin Amira Mittermaier die komplexen Bedeutungen und Definitionen der Feldarbeit in Zeiten, in denen die Ägypter einen Blick auf Veränderungen erblickten oder zumindest davon hörten. Sie analysiert völlig übersehene karitative Räume und Lebensgeschichten, die auch im Zentrum der Sehnsüchte und Ängste der Ägypter stehen. Neben der Erkundung des Tahrir-Platzes der Revolutionäre und der Mega-Architekturprojekte, die die konterrevolutionäre Agenda verkörpern, trifft Mittermaier auf Spender und Empfänger verschiedener islamischer Modi, Ethiken und Zeitlichkeiten des Gebens. Ihre Buchkapitel “invite a rethinking and open up our political-ethical imagination” (S. 16) und zeigen so auf, was Anthropologie in einer „zutiefst ungleichen Welt“ tun kann und was nicht (S. 17).In her second monograph, Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times, anthropologist Amira Mittermaier illustrates the complex meanings and definitions of doing fieldwork in times when Egyptians witnessed a glimpse of change or at least heard about it. She analyzes completely overlooked charitable spaces and life stories that also exist at the center of Egyptians’ aspirations and anxieties. Beyond exploring the Tahrir Square of the revolutionaries and the mega-architectural projects that embody the counterrevolutionary agenda, Mittermaier meets with donors and recipients of different Islamic modes, ethics, and temporalities of giving. Her book chapters “invite a rethinking and open up our political-ethical imagination” (p. 16) of what anthropology can and cannot do in a “profoundly unequal world” (p. 17)

The phenomena of academic capitalism - Entrepreneurialism in higher education institutions

The debate over the phenomena of academic capitalism has been brought to the fore since the late years of the previous century following the publication of some major books and ground-breaking research on the matter. This debate has ever since intensified especially when it was apparent that academic capitalism and entrepreneurialism in universities were already becoming the new reality and the only means of survival in the world of higher education. Although the academic capital accumulation activities and entrepreneurialism initiatives inside universities were modestly introduced starting from the late years of the previous century, they are now publically announced, and are seen as the new paradigm of development for universities. The higher education world is cautiously witnessing the rising concerns about what actually happened to universities since the late 1990s, and whether or not academic capitalism and entrepreneurialism were the road to all evil. Universities and researchers have also debated that capital accumulation and entrepreneurial activities can work for the good and for the profit for both the public mission of education and the sustainability of the institution. They justified that by the creation of the hybrid model of universities that run both basic research with acceptable levels of autonomy as well as applied research with acceptable levels of industry-liaison and heteronomy. The closer the industry liaison with universities, the more influence these industries will have on the research agendas and polices, the so called hybrid model promotes a merely knowledge based economy that inevitably changes the nature of research from its native mission searching for the truth to searching for way to enhance industrialism

Investigating crime patterns in Egypt using crowdsourced data between 2011-2013

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesCrime is a social phenomenon that negatively impinges upon the society on various levels. Such phenomena are ought to be measured and analyzed to achieve control over its presence and consequences. One of the ways for measurement and analysis involves the use of crime maps as vital tools for visualising crime related data. Getting access to crime data is undoubtedly a challenged endeavour faced by hurdles of data collection, storage and making it available for public access. In addition, coming up with useful relationships for extracting information and patterns for crime data analysis is a significant challenge as well. This research investigates the link between the spatial and temporal variables in crime related data collected from crowdsourcing. The research will capitalize on crime data gathered throughout the operation of an online project called Zabatak founded by the author since January 2011 in Egypt. The dataset consists of more than 2000 crime incidents from various geographical areas across Egypt. The research considers an exploratory analysis in trying to interpret crime patterns and trends. The results of this study have identified various interesting trends and patterns in the dataset. One of the major findings of this research points out a strong relationship between the spatial and temporal variables in Car-Theft incidents. In addition, It was possible in the study to relate crime types to the type of the geographical area. The research considers Spatio-Temporal analysis using Inhomogeneous Spatio-Temporal K-function and pair-correlation functions which have identified a Spatio-Temporal cluster and interaction in crime data which can open new ways for crime maps data analysis

The Invisible Life-worlds of a Coptic Christian

This essay presents the life-story of a Coptic Christian between the PlayStation lounge, the coffeehouse and the prison. By taking this constellation as a point of departure, I broadly link such a portrait to overlooked contacts between Coptic Christian youth and the clerical hierarchy of the institution of the Coptic Orthodox Church. While attention is usually given to how Copts experience, negotiate and struggle against the various roles of the Church and its tradition of khidma (service), I investigate Coptic youngsters’ lifeworlds when they wish or have to stay invisible from the Coptic Church’s presumptions of representing its congregants

In Situ Determination of Capillary Pressure and Relative Permeability Curves Using Well Logs.

A pressure profile obtained from the formation tester defines the wettability, free water level, and hydrocarbon and water densities as well as the capillary pressure above the free water level. Correlating the pressure values to the water saturation values determined from the resistivity logs results in a capillary pressure/water saturation, \rm P\sb{c}(S\sb{w}), curve characteristic of the reservoir. A relative permeability curve then can then be derived from this \rm P\sb{c}(S\sb{w}) curve using empirical relationships. This approach was tested in the laboratory using an eight-foot vertical sandstone core to simulate the formation. The core was fitted with electrode arrays, and resistivity measurements were used to construct the water saturation profile. The capillary pressure values were calculated from both the densities and the height above the free water level values. The free water level was indicated by a tube connected to the core setup. Chapter III documents the laboratory details of this experimental work together with its results and conclusions. A technique that can be used to extrapolate existing core data to cases where such data is absent or not representative of in-situ conditions is of interest. Chapter IV of this dissertation documents a new approach that has been developed and is based on using log data to derive a water saturation versus depth profile in the transition zone of the formation of interest. The log derived water saturation distribution is then correlated to generalized capillary pressure curves typical of the formation studied. This curve matching yields, by comparison, a capillary pressure curve specific to the formation of interest. The capillary pressure type curves are generated from already available core data and other petrophysical information. Relative permeability curves are subsequently generated using correlations based on Purcell\u27s model. The technique is successfully applied to several field examples. Special attention is given to cases of tight sands where relative permeability measurements on core samples are very complex, time consuming, and inaccurate due to the very small pore space available to the fluid to move through the tight sand cores. In Chapter V, the above mentioned technique is extended to tight sand cases where a special relationships characteristic of tight sands are developed and mathematically manipulated to adapt already existing relative permeability equations

Impact Of Fines On Gas Relative Permeability Through Sand Using Pore Networks From 3d Synchrotron Micro-Computed Tomography

Fines migration and transport in sand systems have huge influence on vital applications, including the storage and recovery of water and energy resources from the subsurface. Multi-phase flow of gas through saturated unconsolidated media takes place between the pores of sediments, physical phenomenon at the pore-scale control the flow properties. Given a sandy sediment media, gas permeability is highly affected by fine particles due to migration, clogging and bridging reducing gas flow or causing sand particles to displace creating fractures. There is a knowledge gap of fines effects on gas production from sandy sediments, especially at the pore-scale. Therefore, there is a need to model and quantify effects of fines in multi-phase flow using pore networks to better understand gas recovery systems. Three-dimensional, synchrotron micro-computed tomography images of sand sediments were obtained at Argonne National Laboratory at a resolution of 3.89 micron per voxel. Kaolinite and Montmorillonite fine particles were added in varied concentrations in six soil specimens, each system was scanned at four stages with varied saturations of brine and CO2, resulting in 20 systems. Micro-computed tomography images were processed for 3D visualization, quantification and pore network modeling. Pore Network Models were generated, and relative permeability properties were then computed for each system. Findings revealed that fines accumulate at sand-brine and brine-gas interfaces. As fines concentration increased, gas percolation decreased. Further increase in fines concentrations resulted in blocking local gas flow causing pressure variations enough to create fractures that allows gas to escape and permeability to increase back. Pore Networks and Computer-Based Two-Phase Flow Simulations can effectively be used to characterize flow in porous media. In unconsolidated media the pore space geometry will change due to sand grains movements. At high concentrations, different fines type produces altered gas flow regimes, Kaolinite resulted in fractures while montmorillonite resulted in detached gas ganglia. Generally, increasing fines reduces gas percolation and further injection of gas reduced permeability. The finds herein are critical in understanding the impact of fines migration during gas flow in sand, they can be applied to characterizing and predicting two phase properties of unconsolidated sediments