QoS-aware Video Transcoding Service Composition Process in a Distributed Cloud Environment

ABSTRACT: In this paper, we address the problem of selecting and composing video transcoding services in a distributed cloud environment. One of the challenging issues for video transcoding service composition is how to find the best transcoding path to route the data flow through while satisfying the viewer requirements and specifications. In a cloud environment, video transcoding service providers provide different video transcoding services that have similar functionality (i.e., format conversion), but with different Quality of Services (QoS) specifications. Since the combination of the QoS specifications, such as frame size, frame rate, video bit rate, and transcoding delay might affect the end user's experience in non-intuitive and subjective way and also might affect the delivering of a high quality video content over any type of network, we propose a QoS-aware model to select and compose the best video transcoding services to satisfy hard constraints on the input and output video formats and comes as close as possible to satisfying soft constraints on the QoS. This model uses an aggregate function to evaluate the QoS for each transcoding service and for each viewer request to explore the best composition path. In this paper, we adapt the Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm and the Genetic Algorithm (GA) as candidate solutions to help in the composition process. The SA/GA algorithms provide multi-constraints QoS assurance for video transcoding service composition. They also support directed acyclic graph composition topology. We have implemented a prototype of the proposed algorithms and conducted experiments using small-, medium-, and large-scale graphs of video transcoders and sample viewer requests to measure the performance and the quality of the results. The experimental results show that the SA outperforms the GA in terms of performance and success ratio for small-scale graph, while GA outperforms the SA algorithm in terms of performance for medium-and large-scale graphs. The success ratio for the SA and GA algorithms are close to each other for medium-and large-scale graphs. At the end, we provide several directions and suggestions for future work

NATURE IN CITIES:AN APPROACH TO PROMOTE THE SENSE OF BELONGING INURBAN COMMUNITIES

During the second half of the twentieth century, a time that has been noticeable by rapid urbanization of societies, urban environments have become diminished and dysfunctional. Particularly in the practice of forming urban space and in addition, the design of buildings has been allowed to be bloomed, with the lack of both social and environmental responsibility have turned into revolting influences of the plot. With regards to the Urban Environment, sociological consequences will undermine the amenity value of the social environment if the community and the end user are not satisfied by the incompetence to meet the cultural needs. The absence of cultural perception and environmental ethos proposed by the contemporary buildings and urban landscapes, obviously through ignoring the approaching depletion of natural resources. Architects and urban designers should not disregard signs of global stress that are of social and ecological major consequence. Therefore this paper aims to study the urban environment within architecture and urban design. Based on scientific methodology, the paper reviews the contemporary literature of the environmental goals for the new world through analysing current contemporary work and illustrating the environmental elements in shaping the urban landscape. Finally, the one of the important conclusion is that the Humanistic and environmental resource elements should manage innovative powers in architecture and in shaping the urban landscape

FOCUSED REVIEWS ON COMMUNITY LIVABILITY STRATEGIESFOR UPGRADING IMPOVERISHED AREAS

Impoverished areas represent the worst of urban poverty, inequality and intolerable difficulties concerning the quality of life of the wellbeing. A person is impoverished when there is deprivation of strength, vitality and liveliness. Poor societies are conscious of their deficiency of power and independence which subject them to mistreatment; they express about pain brought by their inevitable violation of social norms and inability to fully participate in community life. The concept of livability and its strong link with sense of community is essential; it is the sum of factors that add up the community’s quality of life including the built and natural environment, economic prosperity, and social stability. This p a p e r f o c u s e s o n the existing problems in impoverished areas that represent the most unbearable complications concerning quality of life of the inhabitants. Therefore, this paper aims to provide community livability strategies in local and international regions for upgrading quality of life in impoverished areas. The fourth largest city in Lebanon, Tyre and Colombia’s second largest city, Medellin, comprises impoverished areas that experience a deep social and economic exclusion and are mostly inhabited by refugees, homeless children, and fragmented families. This paper analyzes the case studies to add spatiality to understanding of vulnerabilities. Thus, the paper deducts checklists based on the livability factors to check the community livability in impoverished areas. Consequently, livability and sense of community are different for the poor since satisfaction with quality of life of the impoverished increases significantly by gentrifying the area

LEGISLATION FOR GREEN BUILDING REGULATIONS ANDINCENTIVES

The world’s nations encourage creating a health-friendly and sustainable environmental development, to achieve a balance between the economic development and environmental protection. Governments around the world settled regulatory frameworks for the development and usage of green building technology; they should adopt an appropriate legislation to protect people’s health as well as the environment and its natural resources, by establishing a mandatory Green Buildings Regulations, green attractive incentives and Initiative to improve our building performance, encouraging all inventors to build with green. Energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives have attracted serious attention, it promote sustainable development. In some countries the municipality has made the Green Building standards mandatory for governmental buildings only and optional for private ones, but in others they are establishing a strategy, making it mandatory for all the new buildings. This research highlights on the problem and detail the government incentives and initiative, its effectiveness on promoting green building development. The paper draws attention on the shortage of the Lebanese government to protect its natural resources, since the environmental issues have reached dangerous levels. Some ministries are improving the rules for healthier environment, but it is still not enough. More effort should be done in order to achieve an acceptable level of environmental quality. It also provides an international and local review of the implementation of environmental incentives and financial schemes in order to have a better perspective of the Lebanese sustainability effort. The methodology used mostly an inductive methodology with an intervention of deductive and analytical methodologies

URBAN-RURAL MATERNAL HEALTH CHALLENGES INLEBANON

The health of urban populations has changed as cities have evolved. As more people worldwide live in cities, it is imperative to understand how urban living enhances population health and well-being. Maternal health is an indicator of global health; a healthy mother can fully participate in economic and social life. This paper discusses and analyses the challenges faced by mothers living in rural areas and aims at identifying the factors that affect maternal mortality among rural communities in Lebanon. This is achieved by gathering data from scientific reports from governmental and nongovernmental organizations. As well as using the statement written by Make Mothers Matter (MMM) for the 62nd UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) that was held on March 2018 at UN headquarters in New York. The conclusion of this study highlights the negative impact of rural living on maternal health and propose solutions to overcome the health inequality between urban and rural areas

ARCHITECTURE AGAINST CRIME

The accelerated development in the industry of weapons has reshaped the human behaviors, which led to spreading of wars and terrorism. Since World War I, homeless people could not live without making crimes as a source of income. Residential compounds, private proprieties, and public projects have become attraction points magnetizing robbers. Consequently, architects have realized the importance to use design strategies reducing crimes. The scale of crime prevention is varied to cover a single building or a group of buildings. This paper proposes awareness-guidelines for \u27architecture against crime\u27 to be considered before setting the urban design of residential compounds in particular. It is a qualitative research based on a theoretical approach defining the meaning of crime then presenting a literature review highlighting previous architectural attempts in crime prevention. After that the paper deducts specific criteria for reducing crimes in the residential compounds. These criteria will be examined through analyzing three public housing projects; (WOES Public Housing in New York City, Sejong Public Housing Development, Sejong City, South Korea, and Abode at Great Kneighton Cambridge Shire Housing Project, Cambridge, UK). These case studies have been selected for implying certain urban treatments and elements that urban designers provided to reduce crimes. This analysis ends with a comparison between the case studies to conclude general guidelines that can be used as a formal code in the urban design of housing projects. Finally, the paper sets a group of conclusions to be a warning alarm provoking architects and urban designers to think firstly and before anything in life safety

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DESIGNING HEALTHIER KIDS’GARDENS: IN TRIPOLI, LEBANON

Nowadays, cities are human’s dominant habitat. Green spaces should be considered during city planning, since researchers indicate that gardens have positive effects on human health and wellbeing. This paper aims to ameliorate the physical health of kids as a main concern, which will consequently enhance their mental health. It also investigates different green spaces, especially public gardens, located in Tripoli, Lebanon. This paper uses observation, designed questionnaire and direct interviews to analyze the current condition of one of the city’s gardens that is devoted mainly for kids.The outcome of this paper is a list of recommendations for having healthier gardens and community in the future

Applications of GSM Module in Wireless ECG Signal Monitoring System

Abstract: In this paper, a wireless ECG monitoring system which can not only sense the ECG signal but also analyze the signal and in abnormal situation transmits the ECG signal for instant action. An ECG is used to measure the heart's electrical conduction system. It picks up electrical impulses generated by the polarization and depolarization of cardiac tissue and translates into a waveform. The waveform is then used to measure the rate and regularity of heartbeats, as well as the size and position of the chambers, the presence of any damage to the heart, and the effects of drugs or devices used to regulate the heart, such as a pacemaker. The fully system will be basically for a high cardiac diseased person and if they are moving or they are living alone this system will be very helpful to them