A Layered Energy-EfficientMulti-Node Scheduling Mechanism for Large-Scale WSN

In recent years, target tracking has been considered one of the most important applications of wireless sensornetwork (WSN). Optimizing target tracking performance and prolonging network lifetime are two equally criticalobjectives in this scenario. The existing mechanisms still have weaknesses in balancing the two demands. Theproposed heuristic multi-node collaborative scheduling mechanism (HMNCS) comprises cluster head (CH)election, pre-selection, and task set selectionmechanisms, where the latter two kinds of selections forma two-layerselection mechanism. The CH election innovatively introduces the movement trend of the target and establishesa scoring mechanism to determine the optimal CH, which can delay the CH rotation and thus reduce energyconsumption. The pre-selection mechanism adaptively filters out suitable nodes as the candidate task set to applyfor tracking tasks, which can reduce the application consumption and the overhead of the following task setselection. Finally, the task node selection is mathematically transformed into an optimization problem and thegenetic algorithm is adopted to form a final task set in the task set selection mechanism. Simulation results showthat HMNCS outperforms other compared mechanisms in the tracking accuracy and the network lifetime.

A Novel Scheduling Framework for Multi-Programming Quantum Computing in Cloud Environment

As cloud quantum computing gains broader acceptance,a growing quantity of researchers are directing their focus towards this domain.Nevertheless,the rapid surge in demand for cloud-based quantum computing resources has led to a scarcity,which in turn hampers users from achieving optimal satisfaction.Therefore,cloud quantum computing service providers require a unified analysis and scheduling framework for their quantumresources and user jobs to meet the ever-growing usage demands.This paper introduces a new multi-programming scheduling framework for quantum computing in a cloud environment.The framework addresses the issue of limited quantum computing resources in cloud environments and ensures a satisfactory user experience.It introduces three innovative designs:1)Our framework automatically allocates tasks to different quantum backends while ensuring fairness among users by considering both the cloud-based quantum resources and the user-submitted tasks.2)Multi-programming mechanism is employed across different quantum backends to enhance the overall throughput of the quantum cloud.In comparison to conventional task schedulers,our proposed framework achieves a throughput improvement of more than two-fold in the quantum cloud.3)The framework can balance fidelity and user waiting time by adaptively adjusting scheduling parameters.

A Novel Predictive Model for Edge Computing Resource Scheduling Based on Deep Neural Network

Currently,applications accessing remote computing resources through cloud data centers is the main mode of operation,but this mode of operation greatly increases communication latency and reduces overall quality of service(QoS)and quality of experience(QoE).Edge computing technology extends cloud service functionality to the edge of the mobile network,closer to the task execution end,and can effectivelymitigate the communication latency problem.However,the massive and heterogeneous nature of servers in edge computing systems brings new challenges to task scheduling and resource management,and the booming development of artificial neural networks provides us withmore powerfulmethods to alleviate this limitation.Therefore,in this paper,we proposed a time series forecasting model incorporating Conv1D,LSTM and GRU for edge computing device resource scheduling,trained and tested the forecasting model using a small self-built dataset,and achieved competitive experimental results.

Performance Prediction Based Workload Scheduling in Co-Located Cluster

Cloud service providers generally co-locate online services and batch jobs onto the same computer cluster,where the resources can be pooled in order to maximize data center resource utilization.Due to resource competition between batch jobs and online services,co-location frequently impairs the performance of online services.This study presents a quality of service(QoS)prediction-based schedulingmodel(QPSM)for co-locatedworkloads.The performance prediction of QPSM consists of two parts:the prediction of an online service’s QoS anomaly based on XGBoost and the prediction of the completion time of an offline batch job based on randomforest.On-line service QoS anomaly prediction is used to evaluate the influence of batch jobmix on on-line service performance,and batch job completion time prediction is utilized to reduce the total waiting time of batch jobs.When the same number of batch jobs are scheduled in experiments using typical test sets such as CloudSuite,the scheduling time required by QPSM is reduced by about 6 h on average compared with the first-come,first-served strategy and by about 11 h compared with the random scheduling strategy.Compared with the non-co-located situation,QPSM can improve CPU resource utilization by 12.15% and memory resource utilization by 5.7% on average.Experiments show that the QPSM scheduling strategy proposed in this study can effectively guarantee the quality of online services and further improve cluster resource utilization.

Improved STNModels and Heuristic Rules for Cooperative Scheduling in Automated Container Terminals

Improving the cooperative scheduling efficiency of equipment is the key for automated container terminals to copewith the development trend of large-scale ships. In order to improve the solution efficiency of the existing spacetimenetwork (STN) model for the cooperative scheduling problem of yard cranes (YCs) and automated guidedvehicles (AGVs) and extend its application scenarios, two improved STN models are proposed. The flow balanceconstraints in the original model are decomposed, and the trajectory constraints of YCs and AGVs are added toacquire the model STN_A. The coupling constraint in STN_A is updated, and buffer constraints are added toSTN_A so that themodel STN_B is built.As the size of the problem increases, the solution speed of CPLEX becomesthe bottleneck. So a heuristic method containing three groups of heuristic rules is designed to obtain a near-optimalsolution quickly. Experimental results showthat the computation time of STN_A is shortened by 49.47% on averageand the gap is reduced by 1.69% on average compared with the original model. The gap between the solution ofthe heuristic rules and the solution of CPLEX is less than 3.50%, and the solution time of the heuristic rules is onaverage 99.85% less than the solution time of CPLEX. Compared with STN_A, the computation time for solvingSTN_B increases by 58.93% on average.

An Elite-Class Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization for Reentrant Hybrid Flow Shop Scheduling with Bottleneck Stage

Bottleneck stage and reentrance often exist in real-life manufacturing processes;however,the previous research rarely addresses these two processing conditions in a scheduling problem.In this study,a reentrant hybrid flow shop scheduling problem(RHFSP)with a bottleneck stage is considered,and an elite-class teaching-learning-based optimization(ETLBO)algorithm is proposed to minimize maximum completion time.To produce high-quality solutions,teachers are divided into formal ones and substitute ones,and multiple classes are formed.The teacher phase is composed of teacher competition and teacher teaching.The learner phase is replaced with a reinforcement search of the elite class.Adaptive adjustment on teachers and classes is established based on class quality,which is determined by the number of elite solutions in class.Numerous experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of new strategies,and ETLBO has a significant advantage in solving the considered RHFSP.

MCWOA Scheduler:Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm for Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing provides a diverse and adaptable resource pool over the internet,allowing users to tap into various resources as needed.It has been seen as a robust solution to relevant challenges.A significant delay can hamper the performance of IoT-enabled cloud platforms.However,efficient task scheduling can lower the cloud infrastructure’s energy consumption,thus maximizing the service provider’s revenue by decreasing user job processing times.The proposed Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm called Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm(MCWOA),combines elements of the Chimp Optimization Algorithm(COA)and the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA).To enhance MCWOA’s identification precision,the Sobol sequence is used in the population initialization phase,ensuring an even distribution of the population across the solution space.Moreover,the traditional MCWOA’s local search capabilities are augmented by incorporating the whale optimization algorithm’s bubble-net hunting and random search mechanisms into MCWOA’s position-updating process.This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach using a two-story rigid frame and a simply supported beam model.Simulated outcomes reveal that the new method outperforms the original MCWOA,especially in multi-damage detection scenarios.MCWOA excels in avoiding false positives and enhancing computational speed,making it an optimal choice for structural damage detection.The efficiency of the proposed MCWOA is assessed against metrics such as energy usage,computational expense,task duration,and delay.The simulated data indicates that the new MCWOA outpaces other methods across all metrics.The study also references the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA),Chimp Algorithm(CA),Ant Lion Optimizer(ALO),Genetic Algorithm(GA)and Grey Wolf Optimizer(GWO).

A Cooperated Imperialist Competitive Algorithm for Unrelated Parallel Batch Machine Scheduling Problem

This study focuses on the scheduling problem of unrelated parallel batch processing machines(BPM)with release times,a scenario derived from the moulding process in a foundry.In this process,a batch is initially formed,placed in a sandbox,and then the sandbox is positioned on a BPM formoulding.The complexity of the scheduling problem increases due to the consideration of BPM capacity and sandbox volume.To minimize the makespan,a new cooperated imperialist competitive algorithm(CICA)is introduced.In CICA,the number of empires is not a parameter,and four empires aremaintained throughout the search process.Two types of assimilations are achieved:The strongest and weakest empires cooperate in their assimilation,while the remaining two empires,having a close normalization total cost,combine in their assimilation.A new form of imperialist competition is proposed to prevent insufficient competition,and the unique features of the problem are effectively utilized.Computational experiments are conducted across several instances,and a significant amount of experimental results show that the newstrategies of CICAare effective,indicating promising advantages for the considered BPMscheduling problems.

Research on Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Based on Improved Two-Layer Optimization Algorithm

To improve the productivity,the resource utilization and reduce the production cost of flexible job shops,this paper designs an improved two-layer optimization algorithm for the dual-resource scheduling optimization problem of flexible job shop considering workpiece batching.Firstly,a mathematical model is established to minimize the maximum completion time.Secondly,an improved two-layer optimization algorithm is designed:the outer layer algorithm uses an improved PSO(Particle Swarm Optimization)to solve the workpiece batching problem,and the inner layer algorithm uses an improved GA(Genetic Algorithm)to solve the dual-resource scheduling problem.Then,a rescheduling method is designed to solve the task disturbance problem,represented by machine failures,occurring in the workshop production process.Finally,the superiority and effectiveness of the improved two-layer optimization algorithm are verified by two typical cases.The case results show that the improved two-layer optimization algorithm increases the average productivity by 7.44% compared to the ordinary two-layer optimization algorithm.By setting the different numbers of AGVs(Automated Guided Vehicles)and analyzing the impact on the production cycle of the whole order,this paper uses two indicators,the maximum completion time decreasing rate and the average AGV load time,to obtain the optimal number of AGVs,which saves the cost of production while ensuring the production efficiency.This research combines the solved problem with the real production process,which improves the productivity and reduces the production cost of the flexible job shop,and provides new ideas for the subsequent research.

Age of Information Based User Scheduling and Data Assignment in Multi-User Mobile Edge Computing Networks:An Online Algorithm

This paper investigates the age of information(AoI)-based multi-user mobile edge computing(MEC)network with partial offloading mode.The weighted sum AoI(WSA)is first analyzed and derived,and then a WSA minimization problem is formulated by jointly optimizing the user scheduling and data assignment.Due to the non-analytic expression of the WSA w.r.t.the optimization variables and the unknowability of future network information,the problem cannot be solved with known solution methods.Therefore,an online Joint Partial Offloading and User Scheduling Optimization(JPOUSO)algorithm is proposed by transforming the original problem into a single-slot data assignment subproblem and a single-slot user scheduling sub-problem and solving the two sub-problems separately.We analyze the computational complexity of the presented JPO-USO algorithm,which is of O(N),with N being the number of users.Simulation results show that the proposed JPO-USO algorithm is able to achieve better AoI performance compared with various baseline methods.It is shown that both the user’s data assignment and the user’s AoI should be jointly taken into account to decrease the system WSA when scheduling users.

Strengthened Dominance Relation NSGA-Ⅲ Algorithm Based on Differential Evolution to Solve Job Shop Scheduling Problem

The job shop scheduling problem is a classical combinatorial optimization challenge frequently encountered in manufacturing systems.It involves determining the optimal execution sequences for a set of jobs on various machines to maximize production efficiency and meet multiple objectives.The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅲ(NSGA-Ⅲ)is an effective approach for solving the multi-objective job shop scheduling problem.Nevertheless,it has some limitations in solving scheduling problems,including inadequate global search capability,susceptibility to premature convergence,and challenges in balancing convergence and diversity.To enhance its performance,this paper introduces a strengthened dominance relation NSGA-Ⅲ algorithm based on differential evolution(NSGA-Ⅲ-SD).By incorporating constrained differential evolution and simulated binary crossover genetic operators,this algorithm effectively improves NSGA-Ⅲ’s global search capability while mitigating pre-mature convergence issues.Furthermore,it introduces a reinforced dominance relation to address the trade-off between convergence and diversity in NSGA-Ⅲ.Additionally,effective encoding and decoding methods for discrete job shop scheduling are proposed,which can improve the overall performance of the algorithm without complex computation.To validate the algorithm’s effectiveness,NSGA-Ⅲ-SD is extensively compared with other advanced multi-objective optimization algorithms using 20 job shop scheduling test instances.The experimental results demonstrate that NSGA-Ⅲ-SD achieves better solution quality and diversity,proving its effectiveness in solving the multi-objective job shop scheduling problem.

Two-Stage Optimal Scheduling of Community Integrated Energy System

From the perspective of a community energy operator,a two-stage optimal scheduling model of a community integrated energy system is proposed by integrating information on controllable loads.The day-ahead scheduling analyzes whether various controllable loads participate in the optimization and investigates the impact of their responses on the operating economy of the community integrated energy system(IES)before and after;the intra-day scheduling proposes a two-stage rolling optimization model based on the day-ahead scheduling scheme,taking into account the fluctuation of wind turbine output and load within a short period of time and according to the different response rates of heat and cooling power,and solves the adjusted output of each controllable device.The simulation results show that the optimal scheduling of controllable loads effectively reduces the comprehensive operating costs of community IES;the two-stage optimal scheduling model can meet the energy demand of customers while effectively and timely suppressing the random fluctuations on both sides of the source and load during the intra-day stage,realizing the economic and smooth operation of IES.

Enhanced Hybrid Equilibrium Strategy in Fog-Cloud Computing Networks with Optimal Task Scheduling

More devices in the Intelligent Internet of Things(AIoT)result in an increased number of tasks that require low latency and real-time responsiveness,leading to an increased demand for computational resources.Cloud computing’s low-latency performance issues in AIoT scenarios have led researchers to explore fog computing as a complementary extension.However,the effective allocation of resources for task execution within fog environments,characterized by limitations and heterogeneity in computational resources,remains a formidable challenge.To tackle this challenge,in this study,we integrate fog computing and cloud computing.We begin by establishing a fog-cloud environment framework,followed by the formulation of a mathematical model for task scheduling.Lastly,we introduce an enhanced hybrid Equilibrium Optimizer(EHEO)tailored for AIoT task scheduling.The overarching objective is to decrease both the makespan and energy consumption of the fog-cloud system while accounting for task deadlines.The proposed EHEO method undergoes a thorough evaluation against multiple benchmark algorithms,encompassing metrics likemakespan,total energy consumption,success rate,and average waiting time.Comprehensive experimental results unequivocally demonstrate the superior performance of EHEO across all assessed metrics.Notably,in the most favorable conditions,EHEO significantly diminishes both the makespan and energy consumption by approximately 50%and 35.5%,respectively,compared to the secondbest performing approach,which affirms its efficacy in advancing the efficiency of AIoT task scheduling within fog-cloud networks.

Improved Scatter Search Algorithm for Multi-skilled Personnel Scheduling of Ship Block Painting

This paper focuses on the optimization method for multi-skilled painting personnel scheduling.The budget working time analysis is carried out considering the influence of operating area,difficulty of spraying area,multi-skilled workers,and worker’s efficiency,then a mathematical model is established to minimize the completion time. The constraints of task priority,paint preparation,pump management,and neighbor avoidance in the ship block painting production are considered. Based on this model,an improved scatter search(ISS)algorithm is designed,and the hybrid approximate dynamic programming(ADP)algorithm is used to improve search efficiency. In addition,the two solution combination methods of path-relinking and task sequence combination are used to enhance the search breadth and depth. The numerical experimental results show that ISS has a significant advantage in solving efficiency compared with the solver in small scale instances;Compared with the scatter search algorithm and genetic algorithm,ISS can stably improve the solution quality. Verified by the production example,ISS effectively shortens the total completion time of the production,which is suitable for scheduling problems in the actual painting production of the shipyard.

GRU-integrated constrained soft actor-critic learning enabled fully distributed scheduling strategy for residential virtual power plant

In this study,a novel residential virtual power plant(RVPP)scheduling method that leverages a gate recurrent unit(GRU)-integrated deep reinforcement learning(DRL)algorithm is proposed.In the proposed scheme,the GRU-integrated DRL algorithm guides the RVPP to participate effectively in both the day-ahead and real-time markets,lowering the electricity purchase costs and consumption risks for end-users.The Lagrangian relaxation technique is introduced to transform the constrained Markov decision process(CMDP)into an unconstrained optimization problem,which guarantees that the constraints are strictly satisfied without determining the penalty coefficients.Furthermore,to enhance the scalability of the constrained soft actor-critic(CSAC)-based RVPP scheduling approach,a fully distributed scheduling architecture was designed to enable plug-and-play in the residential distributed energy resources(RDER).Case studies performed on the constructed RVPP scenario validated the performance of the proposed methodology in enhancing the responsiveness of the RDER to power tariffs,balancing the supply and demand of the power grid,and ensuring customer comfort.

Multi-Time Scale Optimal Scheduling of a Photovoltaic Energy Storage Building System Based on Model Predictive Control

Building emission reduction is an important way to achieve China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.Aiming at the problem of low carbon economic operation of a photovoltaic energy storage building system,a multi-time scale optimal scheduling strategy based on model predictive control(MPC)is proposed under the consideration of load optimization.First,load optimization is achieved by controlling the charging time of electric vehicles as well as adjusting the air conditioning operation temperature,and the photovoltaic energy storage building system model is constructed to propose a day-ahead scheduling strategy with the lowest daily operation cost.Second,considering inter-day to intra-day source-load prediction error,an intraday rolling optimal scheduling strategy based on MPC is proposed that dynamically corrects the day-ahead dispatch results to stabilize system power fluctuations and promote photovoltaic consumption.Finally,taking an office building on a summer work day as an example,the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling strategy is verified.The results of the example show that the strategy reduces the total operating cost of the photovoltaic energy storage building system by 17.11%,improves the carbon emission reduction by 7.99%,and the photovoltaic consumption rate reaches 98.57%,improving the system’s low-carbon and economic performance.

An Improved Harris Hawk Optimization Algorithm for Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem

Flexible job shop scheduling problem(FJSP)is the core decision-making problem of intelligent manufacturing production management.The Harris hawk optimization(HHO)algorithm,as a typical metaheuristic algorithm,has been widely employed to solve scheduling problems.However,HHO suffers from premature convergence when solving NP-hard problems.Therefore,this paper proposes an improved HHO algorithm(GNHHO)to solve the FJSP.GNHHO introduces an elitism strategy,a chaotic mechanism,a nonlinear escaping energy update strategy,and a Gaussian random walk strategy to prevent premature convergence.A flexible job shop scheduling model is constructed,and the static and dynamic FJSP is investigated to minimize the makespan.This paper chooses a two-segment encoding mode based on the job and the machine of the FJSP.To verify the effectiveness of GNHHO,this study tests it in 23 benchmark functions,10 standard job shop scheduling problems(JSPs),and 5 standard FJSPs.Besides,this study collects data from an agricultural company and uses the GNHHO algorithm to optimize the company’s FJSP.The optimized scheduling scheme demonstrates significant improvements in makespan,with an advancement of 28.16%for static scheduling and 35.63%for dynamic scheduling.Moreover,it achieves an average increase of 21.50%in the on-time order delivery rate.The results demonstrate that the performance of the GNHHO algorithm in solving FJSP is superior to some existing algorithms.

Algorithms for Multicriteria Scheduling Problems to Minimize Maximum Late Work, Tardy, and Early

This study examines the multicriteria scheduling problem on a single machine to minimize three criteria: the maximum cost function, denoted by maximum late work (Vmax), maximum tardy job, denoted by (Tmax), and maximum earliness (Emax). We propose several algorithms based on types of objectives function to be optimized when dealing with simultaneous minimization problems with and without weight and hierarchical minimization problems. The proposed Algorithm (3) is to find the set of efficient solutions for 1//F (Vmax, Tmax, Emax) and 1//(Vmax + Tmax + Emax). The Local Search Heuristic Methods (Descent Method (DM), Simulated Annealing (SA), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and the Tree Type Heuristics Method (TTHM) are applied to solve all suggested problems. Finally, the experimental results of Algorithm (3) are compared with the results of the Branch and Bound (BAB) method for optimal and Pareto optimal solutions for smaller instance sizes and compared to the Local Search Heuristic Methods for large instance sizes. These results ensure the efficiency of Algorithm (3) in a reasonable time.

A bi-population immune algorithm for weapon transportation support scheduling problem with pickup and delivery on aircraft carrier deck

The weapon transportation support scheduling problem on aircraft carrier deck is the key to restricting the sortie rate and combat capability of carrier-based aircraft.This paper studies the problem and presents a novel solution architecture.Taking the interference of the carrier-based aircraft deck layout on the weapon transportation route and precedence constraint into consideration,a mixed integer formulation is established to minimize the total objective,which is constituted of makespan,load variance and accumulative transfer time of support unit.Solution approach is developed for the model.Firstly,based on modeling the carrier aircraft parked on deck as convex obstacles,the path library of weapon transportation is constructed through visibility graph and Warshall-Floyd methods.We then propose a bi-population immune algorithm in which a population-based forward/backward scheduling technique,local search schemes and a chaotic catastrophe operator are embedded.Besides,the randomkey solution representation and serial scheduling generation scheme are adopted to conveniently obtain a better solution.The Taguchi method is additionally employed to determine key parameters of the algorithm.Finally,on a set of generated realistic instances,we demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms all compared algorithms designed for similar optimization problems and can significantly improve the efficiency,and that the established model and the bi-population immune algorithm can effectively respond to the weapon support requirements of carrier-based aircraft under different sortie missions.

Matching while Learning: Wireless Scheduling for Age of Information Optimization at the Edge

In this paper,we investigate the minimization of age of information(AoI),a metric that measures the information freshness,at the network edge with unreliable wireless communications.Particularly,we consider a set of users transmitting status updates,which are collected by the user randomly over time,to an edge server through unreliable orthogonal channels.It begs a natural question:with random status update arrivals and obscure channel conditions,can we devise an intelligent scheduling policy that matches the users and channels to stabilize the queues of all users while minimizing the average AoI?To give an adequate answer,we define a bipartite graph and formulate a dynamic edge activation problem with stability constraints.Then,we propose an online matching while learning algorithm(MatL)and discuss its implementation for wireless scheduling.Finally,simulation results demonstrate that the MatL is reliable to learn the channel states and manage the users’buffers for fresher information at the edge.