Shortest Path versus Multi-Hub Routing in Networks with Uncertain Demand

We study a class of robust network design problems motivated by the need to scale core networks to meet increasingly dynamic capacity demands. Past work has focused on designing the network to support all hose matrices (all matrices not exceeding marginal bounds at the nodes). This model may be too conservative if additional information on traffic patterns is available. Another extreme is the fixed demand model, where one designs the network to support peak point-to-point demands. We introduce a capped hose model to explore a broader range of traffic matrices which includes the above two as special cases. It is known that optimal designs for the hose model are always determined by single-hub routing, and for the fixed- demand model are based on shortest-path routing. We shed light on the wider space of capped hose matrices in order to see which traffic models are more shortest path-like as opposed to hub-like. To address the space in between, we use hierarchical multi-hub routing templates, a generalization of hub and tree routing. In particular, we show that by adding peak capacities into the hose model, the single-hub tree-routing template is no longer cost-effective. This initiates the study of a class of robust network design (RND) problems restricted to these templates. Our empirical analysis is based on a heuristic for this new hierarchical RND problem. We also propose that it is possible to define a routing indicator that accounts for the strengths of the marginals and peak demands and use this information to choose the appropriate routing template. We benchmark our approach against other well-known routing templates, using representative carrier networks and a variety of different capped hose traffic demands, parameterized by the relative importance of their marginals as opposed to their point-to-point peak demands

Adoption and effects of software engineering best practices in machine learning

Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog

Hub routing for the robust network design problem

Robust network design (RND) applies the concept of robustness from optimization with uncertainty to the area of network design. Primary motivations stem from applications in telecommunication networks. The main presupposition is that demands across the networks are variable or unpredictable. They originate from a predefined demand set, called a demand universe. Moreover, practical impediments of network design enforce the routing of the demands to be oblivious, or fixed in advance, and to not depend on a particular instantiation from the demand universe. Additional restrictions, referred to as a routing model, are often enforced on the routing's structure. Shortest paths (SP) and hub (HUB) routing models have received particular attention, both on the theoretical and practical level. In this work, we introduce a new routing model, called the hierarchical hub routing model (HH), as a generalization to HUB. We study the theoretical properties of RND restricted to HH (RNDHH). Namely, we show its APX-hardness and provide a O(log n)-approximation algorithm. We then show how RNDHH is tractable when the problem is constrained to a particular demand universe based on demands routable on a tree. We also compare the costs of optimal solutions to RND using HH and other important oblivious routing models. Finally, we leverage HH in a practical study of a new demand universe called the capped hose model, which is a blend of the hose and the pipe model, two widely used demand universes. We use the capped hose model to shed light on which demand universes favour more a SP-like as opposed to a HH-like routing. To do so, we develop a heuristic algorithm for RNDHH, and benchmark our approach against SP using representative carrier networks and a variety of capped hose demands, parametrized by their similitude to a hose or pipe model. This study reveals conditions under which multi-hub routings, that is HH, gives improvements over single-hub and shortest path routings.Le design de réseaux robustes (RND) est celui qui applique le concept de robustesse, issu de l'optimisation avec incertitude, au domaine de la conception de réseaux. Les principales motivations derrière cette application découlent de demandes provenant des réseaux de télécommunication. La prémisse principale est que les demandes à travers les réseaux sont variables ou imprévisibles. Toutefois, nous savons que ces demandes proviennent d'un ensemble prédéfini appelé univers de demandes. De plus, des contraintes pratiques du design de réseaux requiert que le routage des demandes soit inconscient, ou fixé d'avance, et qu'il ne dépende pas d'une instanciation particulière de l'univers de demandes. Des contraintes additionnelles, connues sous le nom de modèle de routage, s'appliquent souvent à la structure du routage. Les routages par chemins les plus courts (SP) et par moyeu unique (HUB) ont reçu une attention importante, tant au niveau théorique que pratique. Dans cette thèse, nous introduisons un nouveau modèle de routage appelé routage hiérarchique par moyeux (HH), qui est une généralisation de HUB. Nous étudions les propriétés théoriques de RND restreint à HH (RNDHH). Plus particulièrement, nous démontrons son caractère APX-difficile et fournissons un algorithme O(log n)-approché. Par la suite, nous montrons comment RNDHH devient facilement soluble lorsque restreint à un univers de demandes particulier, basé sur des demandes qui peuvent être routées sur un arbre donné. Nous comparons également le coût des solutions optimales lorsque RND utilise HH ainsi que d'autres modèles de routage inconscients importants. Finalement, nous exploitons HH dans une étude pratique sur un nouvel univers de demandes, appelé modèle par tuyaux restreints, qui est un mélange de deux univers de demandes largement utilisés soit le modèle par tuyaux et le modèle par conduits. Nous utilisons le modèle par tuyaux restreints pour caractériser quel univers de demandes favorise un routage similaire à SP contrairement à un routage HH. Pour ce faire, nous développons un algorithme heuristique pour RNDHH et évaluons notre approche par rapport à SP à l'aide de réseaux d'opérateur ainsi que plusieurs types de demandes du modèle par tuyaux restreints, ceux-ci ayant été paramétrés par leur similitude à un modèle par tuyaux ou un modèle par conduits. Cette étude révèle les conditions à travers lesquelles le routage par multiples moyeux, c'est-à-dire HH, surpasse celui par HUB et SP

Toward applications of near-field radiative heat transfer with micro-hotplates

International audienceAbstract Bringing bodies close together at sub-micron distances can drastically enhance radiative heat transfer, leading to heat fluxes greater than the blackbody limit set by Stefan–Boltzmann law. This effect, known as near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT), has wide implications for thermal management in microsystems, as well as technological applications such as direct heat to electricity conversion in thermophotovoltaic cells. Here, we demonstrate NFRHT from microfabricated hotplates made by surface micromachining of $$\hbox {SiO}_2$$ SiO 2 / $$\hbox {SiN}$$ SiN thin films deposited on a sacrificial amorphous Si layer. The sacrificial layer is dry etched to form wide membranes ( {100}\,\upmu \hbox {m} \times {100}\,\upmu \hbox {m} 100 μ m × 100 μ m ) separated from the substrate by nanometric distances. Nickel traces allow both resistive heating and temperature measurement on the micro-hotplates. We report on two samples with measured gaps of $${610}\,\hbox {nm}$$ 610 nm and $${280}\,\hbox {nm}$$ 280 nm . The membranes can be heated up to {250}\,^{\circ }\hbox {C} 250 ∘ C under vacuum with no mechanical damage. At {120}\,^{\circ }\hbox {C} 120 ∘ C we observed a 6.4-fold enhancement of radiative heat transfer compared to far-field emission for the smallest gap and a 3.5-fold enhancement for the larger gap. Furthermore, the measured transmitted power exhibits an exponential dependence with respect to gap size, a clear signature of NFRHT. Calculations of photon transmission probabilities indicate that the observed increase in heat transfer can be attributed to near-field coupling by surface phonon-polaritons supported by the $$\hbox {SiO}_2$$ SiO 2 films. The fabrication process presented here, relying solely on well-established surface micromachining technology, is a key step toward integration of NFRHT in industrial applications

Solving the Station Repacking Problem

We investigate the problem of repacking stations in the FCC's upcoming, multi-billion-dollar "incentive auction". Early efforts to solve this problem considered mixed-integer programming formulations, which we show are unable to reliably solve realistic, national-scale problem instances. We describe the result of a multi-year investigation of alternatives: a solver, SATFC, that has been adopted by the FCC for use in the incentive auction. SATFC is based on a SAT encoding paired with a wide range of techniques: constraint graph decomposition; novel caching mechanisms that allow for reuse of partial solutions from related, solved problems; algorithm configuration; algorithm portfolios; and the marriage of local-search and complete solver strategies. We show that our approach solves virtually all of a set of problems derived from auction simulations within the short time budget required in practice

Using the Shapley Value to Analyze Algorithm Portfolios

Algorithms for NP-complete problems often have different strengths andweaknesses, and thus algorithm portfolios often outperform individualalgorithms. It is surprisingly difficult to quantify a component algorithm's contributionto such a portfolio. Reporting a component's standalone performance wronglyrewards near-clones while penalizing algorithms that have small but distinctareas of strength. Measuring a component's marginal contribution to an existingportfolio is better, but penalizes sets of strongly correlated algorithms,thereby obscuring situations in which it is essential to have at least onealgorithm from such a set. This paper argues for analyzing component algorithmcontributions via a measure drawn from coalitional game theory---the Shapleyvalue---and yields insight into a research community's progress over time. Weconclude with an application of the analysis we advocate to SAT competitions,yielding novel insights into the behaviour of algorithm portfolios, theircomponents, and the state of SAT solving technology

Interface engineering for vanadium dioxide (VO2) integration on silicon

International audienceNeuromorphic computing is being seen as a solution to address the memory bottleneck persistent with the present computing paradigm. To realize such an architecture, artificial synapses and neurons need to be built. One way to emulate a bio-synapse requires a material with an metal-insulator phase transition (MIT). VO2 undergoes a structural phase transformation (SPT) from monoclinic structure at room temperature to tetragonal at approximately 70°C. The SPT is accompanied by an IMT leading to a large variation in its electrical (about 4 orders of magnitude of its resistivity) and optical properties, in particular, in its complex refractive index in the mid-IR frequency range.To keep with the current trends of the microelectronic industry, it is imperative to integrate VO2 on silicon. However, the higher lattice mismatch and formation of oxides and silicates at the interface between VO2 and crystalline Si degrade the quality and functionality of VO2 film. Additionally, VO2(M1) is a challenging material to integrate into patterned heterostructures because it can exist not only as multiple polymorphs (A, B, M1) but the high-temperature depositions can lead to the formation of various oxidation states phases that are present in the V-O system (VnO2n-1, VnO2n+1). This work was conducted to study the growth of VO2 on silicon with oxide buffer layers using RF magnetron sputtering of a V2O5 ceramic target in argon atmosphere. We studied the structure-property relationships, specifically electrical and optical properties as a function of temperature across the Tc. Structural and compositional characterizations are carried out using x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy respectively, optical responses are studied under spectroscopic ellipsometry and electrical characterizations are performed using the four-point probe method. With the use of a very thin metal oxide buffer layer between the silicon substrate and VO2 film, we demonstrate a high resistivity ratio (of the order 3 between the two phases) and investigate the scope of improvement. The results show the influence of substrate temperature, VO2 grain size, and strain on it as well as the crystal structure of the buffer layer on the structural and physical properties of interfaces and film morphology which subsequently affect the electrical bistability of VO2. The preliminary findings mentioned here are being utilized to improve the electrical bistability, thus allowing us to improve the reproducibility in operational modes (switching, memory, logical operations, etc.) of neuromorphic devices