Managed Control of Composite Cloud Systems

Cloud providers have just begun to provide primitive functionality enabling users to configure and easily provision resources, primarily in the infrastructure as a service domain. In order to effectively manage cloud resources in an automated fashion, systems must automate quality-of-service (QoS) metric measurement as a part of a larger usage management strategy. Collected metrics can then be used within control loops to manage and provision cloud resources. This basic approach can be scaled to monitor the use of system artifacts as well as simple QoS parameters, and can also address the needs of large systems spanning the boundaries of single service providers though the problem seems to moving toward intractability

Embedded Machine-Learning For Variable-Rate Fertiliser Systems: A Model-Driven Approach To Precision Agriculture

Efficient use of fertilisers, in particular the use of Nitrogen (N), is one of the rate-limiting factors in meeting global food production requirements. While N is a key driver in increasing crop yields, overuse can also lead to negative environmental and health impacts. It has been suggested that Variable-Rate Fertiliser (VRF) techniques may help to reduce excessive N applications. VRF seeks to spatially vary fertiliser input based on estimated crop requirements, however a major challenge in the operational deployment of VRF systems is the automated processing of large amounts of sensor data in real-time. Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have shown promise in their ability to process these large, high-velocity data streams, and to produce accurate predictions. The newly developed Fuzzy Boxes (FB) algorithm has been designed with VRF applications in mind, however no publicly available software implementation currently exists. Therefore, development of a prototype implementation of FB forms a component of this work. This thesis will also employ a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) testing methodology using a potential target device in order to simulate a real-world VRF deployment environment. By using this environment simulation, two existing ML algorithms (Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM)) can be compared against the prototype implementation of FB for applicability to VRF applications. It will be shown that all tested algorithms could potentially be suitable for high-speed VRF when measured on prediction time and various accuracy metrics. All algorithms achieved higher than 84.5% accuracy, with FB20 reaching 87.21%. Prediction times were highly varied; the fastest average predictor was an ANN (16.64μs), while the slowest was FB20(502.77μs). All average prediction times were fast enough to achieve a spatial resolution of 31 mm when operating at 60 m/s, making all tested algorithms fast enough predictors for VRF applications

The immunology of mind control – exploring the relationship between the microbiome and the brain - Part 1

The immunology of mind control – exploring the relationship between the microbiome and the brain - part 1 In this series of articles, the relationship between the human species and the human gut microbiome will be evaluated to determine if it is symbiotic, parasitic or somewhere in between. The possibilities, based on animal studies, are explored and compared to studies in human beings. In particular, close attention is paid to the relationship between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system, especially its effect on human behaviour. This relationship is termed the ‘microbiome–gut–brain axis’. The gut microbiome has an influence on stress (both acute and chronic), anxiety, loneliness and depression, through a number of pathways. It has also been associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with associated cognitive decline. The concept of ‘mind control’ of human beings by organisms in the microbiome is relatively new, but has been demonstrated with multiple examples in the animal kingdom. Therefore, it is not surprising that certain components of the microbiome have also been associated with the development of schizophrenia. Since the common treatments used for these conditions are not equally effective in all patients, it is vital for clinicians to explore other avenues to be used as therapeutic targets. Recent research has also evaluated the impact of vitamin D and olfaction on the brain, and its possible use as adjunctive therapy. The gut microbiome, in particular, requires further research to aid in the development of future therapies for certain conditions. Animal studies in this regard have shown promising results, but human studies are infrequent, often with disappointing results. Randomised control trials in human beings are required to prove or disprove the effects of the gut microbiome on complex psychiatric diseases.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/caciPaediatrics and Child Healt

The immunology of mind control : exploring the relationship between the microbiome and the brain (Part III)

Part three of this four-part series continues to evaluate the relationship between the human species and the human gut microbiome. It focuses on whether their relationship is symbiotic, parasitic or somewhere in between. The possibilities, based on animal studies, are explored and compared to scientific facts proven in human beings. In particular, close attention is paid to the relationship between the gut microbiome and central nervous system, and the effect this has on human behaviour. This relationship is termed the ‘microbiome–gut–brain axis’. Through a number of pathways, the gut microbiome has an influence on stress (both acute and chronic), anxiety, loneliness and depression, as well as on odour and attraction. It has also been associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and with associated cognitive decline. Since the common treatments used for these conditions are not equally effective in all patients, it is vital for clinicians to explore other avenues that could be used as therapeutic targets. The gut microbiome, in particular, requires further research in order to aid the development of future therapies for certain conditions. The concept of the organisms in the microbiome controlling the mind of human beings is relatively new, but such control has been demonstrated through multiple examples in the animal kingdom. Animal studies in this regard have shown promising results, but human studies are infrequent and often present disappointing results. Randomised control trials in human beings are greatly needed, either to prove or to disprove, the effects of the gut microbiome on complex psychiatric diseases.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/caciam2019Paediatrics and Child Healt

Increase of the Density, Temperature and Velocity of Plasma Jets driven by a Ring of High Energy Laser Beams

Supersonic plasma outflows driven by multi-beam, high-energy lasers, such as Omega and NIF, have been and will be used as platforms for a variety of laboratory astrophysics experiments. Here we propose a new way of launching high density and high velocity, plasma jets using multiple intense laser beams in a hollow ring formation. We show that such jets provide a more flexible and versatile platform for future laboratory astrophysics experiments. Using high resolution hydrodynamic simulations, we demonstrate that the collimated jets can achieve much higher density, temperature and velocity when multiple laser beams are focused to form a hollow ring pattern at the target, instead of focused onto a single spot. We carried out simulations with different ring radii and studied their effects on the jet properties. Implications for laboratory collisionless shock experiments are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Accepted to HED