A Preliminary Exploration of the Functional Value Assessment of Ecosystem Services in Aral City

Using the principles and methods of eco-economics as the research object,Aral City comprehensively expounds the ecological service functions such as ecosystem regulation of climate,carbon sequestration,soil conservation,water conservation and purification environment,and evaluates its economic value.The total value of the estimated 2021 is 1303.65 million yuan.At the same time,the importance of ecological service functions of urban ecosystems,from large to small,is to sequester carbon and release oxygen,purify the environment,maintain soil,conserd water sources,regulate the climate.The ecosystem service function which needs to be paid attention to in the concept of ecological construction and restoration of the next stage of ecological construction in Aral City.

Distributed Matching Theory-Based Task Re-Allocating for Heterogeneous Multi-UAV Edge Computing

Many efforts have been devoted to efficient task scheduling in Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)edge computing.However,the heterogeneity of UAV computation resource,and the task re-allocating between UAVs have not been fully considered yet.Moreover,most existing works neglect the fact that a task can only be executed on the UAV equipped with its desired service function(SF).In this backdrop,this paper formulates the task scheduling problem as a multi-objective task scheduling problem,which aims at maximizing the task execution success ratio while minimizing the average weighted sum of all tasks’completion time and energy consumption.Optimizing three coupled goals in a realtime manner with the dynamic arrival of tasks hinders us from adopting existing methods,like machine learning-based solutions that require a long training time and tremendous pre-knowledge about the task arrival process,or heuristic-based ones that usually incur a long decision-making time.To tackle this problem in a distributed manner,we establish a matching theory framework,in which three conflicting goals are treated as the preferences of tasks,SFs and UAVs.Then,a Distributed Matching Theory-based Re-allocating(DiMaToRe)algorithm is put forward.We formally proved that a stable matching can be achieved by our proposal.Extensive simulation results show that Di Ma To Re algorithm outperforms benchmark algorithms under diverse parameter settings and has good robustness.

An Adaptive Hybrid Optimization Strategy for Resource Allocation in Network Function Virtualization

With the rapid development of Network Function Virtualization(NFV),the problem of low resource utilizationin traditional data centers is gradually being addressed.However,existing research does not optimize both localand global allocation of resources in data centers.Hence,we propose an adaptive hybrid optimization strategy thatcombines dynamic programming and neural networks to improve resource utilization and service quality in datacenters.Our approach encompasses a service function chain simulation generator,a parallel architecture servicesystem,a dynamic programming strategy formaximizing the utilization of local server resources,a neural networkfor predicting the global utilization rate of resources and a global resource optimization strategy for bottleneck andredundant resources.With the implementation of our local and global resource allocation strategies,the systemperformance is significantly optimized through simulation.

Service Function Chain Deployment Algorithm Based on Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning

Aiming at the rapid growth of network services,which leads to the problems of long service request processing time and high deployment cost in the deployment of network function virtualization service function chain(SFC)under 5G networks,this paper proposes a multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient optimization algorithm for SFC deployment(MADDPG-SD).Initially,an optimization model is devised to enhance the request acceptance rate,minimizing the latency and deploying the cost SFC is constructed for the network resource-constrained case.Subsequently,we model the dynamic problem as a Markov decision process(MDP),facilitating adaptation to the evolving states of network resources.Finally,by allocating SFCs to different agents and adopting a collaborative deployment strategy,each agent aims to maximize the request acceptance rate or minimize latency and costs.These agents learn strategies from historical data of virtual network functions in SFCs to guide server node selection,and achieve approximately optimal SFC deployment strategies through a cooperative framework of centralized training and distributed execution.Experimental simulation results indicate that the proposed method,while simultaneously meeting performance requirements and resource capacity constraints,has effectively increased the acceptance rate of requests compared to the comparative algorithms,reducing the end-to-end latency by 4.942%and the deployment cost by 8.045%.

Service Function Chain Migration in LEO Satellite Networks

With the advancements of software defined network(SDN)and network function virtualization(NFV),service function chain(SFC)placement becomes a crucial enabler for flexible resource scheduling in low earth orbit(LEO)satellite networks.While due to the scarcity of bandwidth resources and dynamic topology of LEO satellites,the static SFC placement schemes may cause performance degradation,resource waste and even service failure.In this paper,we consider migration and establish an online migration model,especially considering the dynamic topology.Given the scarcity of bandwidth resources,the model aims to maximize the total number of accepted SFCs while incurring as little bandwidth cost of SFC transmission and migration as possible.Due to its NP-hardness,we propose a heuristic minimized dynamic SFC migration(MDSM)algorithm that only triggers the migration procedure when new SFCs are rejected.Simulation results demonstrate that MDSM achieves a performance close to the upper bound with lower complexity.

Risk-Balanced Routing Strategy for Service Function Chains of Cyber-Physical Power System Considering Cross-Space Cascading Failure

Cyber-physical power system(CPPS)has significantly improved the operational efficiency of power systems.However,cross-space cascading failures may occur due to the coupling characteristics,which poses a great threat to the safety and reliability of CPPS,and there is an acute need to reduce the probability of these failures.Towards this end,this paper first proposes a cascading failure index to identify and quantify the importance of different information in the same class of communication services.On this basis,a joint improved risk-balanced service function chain routing strategy(SFC-RS)is proposed,which is modeled as a robust optimization problem and solved by column-and-constraint generation(C-CG)algorithm.Compared with the traditional shortest-path routing algorithm,the superiority of SFC-RS is verified in the IEEE 30-bus system.The results demonstrate that SFC-RS effectively mitigates the risk associated with information transmission in the network,enhances information transmission accessibility,and effectively limits communication disruption from becoming the cause of cross-space cascading failures.

Preliminary Evaluation on Urban Forest Ecosystem Services Function in Meizhou City

In order to better explore the function of urban forest in human habitation and settlement environment,the ecosystem functions were evaluated in terms of air purification,water conservation,soil conservation,maintenance of biodiversity in Meizhou by the methods of market price,shadow prices approach and opportunity cost,and the problems of the value assessment at home and abroad in urban forest ecosystem services function were simply discussed.

Value Evaluation of Water Ecosystem Services——A Case Study of Changshu City

[ Objective] The study aimed to quantitatively assess the values of water ecosystem services. [ Method] Combining the market value, travel cost and restoration cost method, the ecological services and their economic values of the lake Taodangmian were assessed from aspects of water supply, recreation and tourism, water purification and biodiversity maintenance. [ Resultl For the lake Taodangmian, its freshwater supply and tourism played more positive roles in the society than the others, while the functions of water purification and biodiversity maintenance brought negative effects, which shows that the ecological environment of Taodangmian has become increasingly worse and needs to be controlled and and protected further. [ Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the reasonable exploitation and utilization of water resources.

Identifying the priority areas for enhancing the ecosystem services in hilly and mountainous areas of southern China

Ecosystem services can be enhanced through ecological restoration,industrial structure adjustment,land-use optimization,and agricultural and forestry ecosystem transformation.The ecosystem services in hilly and mountainous areas of southern China are crucially needed to be enhanced since these regions are important ecological functional zones in China.However,due to its large area,it is not possible to simultaneously upgrade the ecosystem services for all areas,and therefore,priority areas need to be selected to individually upgrade the ecosystem service function.In this study,via an approach of combining remote sensing,geographic information system,and spatial statistics,we identify the priority areas that need to be upgraded based on the analysis of ecological sensitivity,importance of ecosystem service function,and decreased degree in ecosystem services.For five counties in hilly and mountainous areas of southern China,only less than 2% of the total area was identified as the first priority area;its land-use compositions were analyzed and recommendations on how to enhance ecosystem service were suggested.This approach overcomes the conflict and contradiction issues associated with identifying priority areas in previous studies and solves the problems of high cost or difficult implementation of priority areas.

SFC Design and VNF Placement Based on Traffic Volume Scaling and VNF Dependency in 5G Networks

The development of Fifth-Generation(5G)mobile communication technology has remarkably promoted the spread of the Internet of Things(IoT)applications.As a promising paradigm for IoT,edge computing can process the amount of data generated by mobile intelligent devices in less time response.Network Function Virtualization(NFV)that decouples network functions from dedicated hardware is an important architecture to implement edge computing,deploying heterogeneous Virtual Network Functions(VNF)(such as computer vision,natural language processing,intelligent control,etc.)on the edge service nodes.With the NFV MANO(Management and Orchestration)framework,a Service Function Chain(SFC)that contains a set of ordered VNFs can be constructed and placed in the network to offer a customized network service.However,the procedure of NFV orchestration faces a technical challenge in minimizing the network cost of VNF placement due to the complexity of the changing effect of traffic volume and the dependency on theVNFrelationship.To this end,we jointly optimize SFC design and VNF placement to minimize resource cost while taking account of VNF dependency and traffic volume scaling.First,the problem is formulated as an Integer Linear Programming(ILP)model and proved NPhard by reduction from Hamiltonian Cycle problem.Then we proposed an efficient heuristic algorithm called Traffic Aware and Interdependent VNF Placement(TAIVP)to solve the problem.Compared with the benchmark algorithms,emulation results show that our algorithm can reduce network cost by 10.2%and increase service request acceptance rate by 7.6%on average.

Dynamic Security SFC Branching Path Selection Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Security service function chaining(SFC)based on software-defined networking(SDN)and network function virtualization(NFV)technology allows traffic to be forwarded sequentially among different security service functions to achieve a combination of security functions.Security SFC can be deployed according to requirements,but the current SFC is not flexible enough and lacks an effective feedback mechanism.The SFC is not traffic aware and the changes of traffic may cause the previously deployed security SFC to be invalid.How to establish a closed-loop mechanism to enhance the adaptive capability of the security SFC to malicious traffic has become an important issue.Our contribution is threefold.First,we propose a secure SFC path selection framework.The framework can accept the feedback results of traffic and security service functions in SFC,and dynamically select the opti-mal path for SFC based on the feedback results.It also realizes the automatic deployment of paths,forming a complete closed loop.Second,we expand the protocol of SFC to realize the security SFC with branching path,which improve flexibility of security SFC.Third,we propose a deep reinforcement learning-based dynamic path selection method for security SFC.It infers the optimal branching path by analyzing feedback from the security SFC.We have experimented with Distributed Denial of Service(DDoS)attack detection modules as security service functions.Experimental results show that our proposed method can dynamically select the optimal branching path for a security SFC based on traffic features and the state of the SFC.And it improves the accuracy of the overall malicious traffic detection of the security SFC and significantly reduces the latency and overall load of the SFC.

Disentangling the contributions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to soil multifunctionality

Soil multifunctionality represents a range of soil processes driven by the interactions between soil abiotic and biotic components.As a group of ubiquitous fungi that form mutualistic symbiotic associations with a vast array of terrestrial plants,arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi may play a critical role in maintaining soil multifunctionality,but the characteristics of their contributions remain to be unraveled.This mini review aims to disentangle the contributions of AM fungi to soil multifunctionality.We provide a framework of concepts about AM fungi making crucial contributions to maintaining multiple soil functions,including primary productivity,nutrient cycling,water regulation and purification,carbon and climate regulation,habitat for biodiversity,disease and pest control,and pollutant degradation and detoxification,via a variety of pathways,particularly contributing to soil and plant health.This review contends that AM fungi,as a keystone component of soil microbiome,can govern soil multifunctionality,ultimately promoting ecosystem services.

A preliminary study of cryosphere service function and value evaluation

Cryosphere science research and development(R&D) has been strongly committed to public service, integrating natural sciences with socioeconomic impacts. Owing to the current shift from purely natural cryosphere scientific research to linking cryosphere science with socioeconomic and cultural science, cross-disciplinary research in this field is emerging, which advocates future cryosphere science research in this field. Utilizing the cryosphere service function(CSF), this study establishes CSF and its value evaluation system. Cryosphere service valuation can benefit the decisionmakers' and public's awareness of environmental protection. Implementing sustainable CSF utilization strategies and macroeconomic policymaking for global environmental protection will have profound and practical significance as well as avoid environmental degradation while pursuing short-term economic profits and achieving rapid economic development.

Dynamic Backup Sharing Scheme of Service Function Chains in NFV

Service function chains(SFC)mapping takes the responsibility for managing virtual network functions(VNFs).In SFC mapping,existing solutions duplicate VNFs with redundant instances to provide high availability in response to failures.However,as a compromise,these solutions result in high resource consumption due to device maintenance.In this paper,we propose a novel method named dynamic backup sharing(DBS)that allows SFCs to dynamically share backups to reduce resource consumption.DBS formulates the problem of sharing backups among different VNFs as an integer linear programming(ILP).Thereafter,we design a novel online algorithm based on dynamic programming to solve the problem.The experimental results indicate that DBS outperforms state-ofthe-art works by reducing resource consumption and improving the number of accepted requests.

Service Function Chain in Small Satellite-Based Software Defined Satellite Networks

Software Defined Satellite Networks(SDSN) are proposed to solve the problems in traditional satellite networks, such as time-consuming configuration and inflexible traffic scheduling. The emerging application of small satellite and research of SDSN make it possible for satellite networks to provide flexible network services. Service Function Chain(SFC) can satisfy this need. In this paper, we are motivated to investigate applying SFC in the small satellite-based SDSN for service delivery. We introduce the structure of the multi-layer constellation-based SDSN. Then, we describe two deployment patterns of SFC in SDSN, the Multi-Domain(MD) pattern and the Satellite Formation(SF) pattern. We propose two algorithms, SFP-MD, and SFP-SF, to calculate the Service Function Path(SFP). We implement the algorithms and conduct contrast experiments in our prototype. Finally, we summarize the applicable conditions of two deployment patterns according to the experimental results in terms of hops, delay, and packet loss rate.

Multi-Path Service Function Chaining for Mobile Surveillance of Animal Husbandry

Animal husbandry is the pillar industry in some ethnic areas of China.However,the communication/networking infrastructure in these areas is often underdeveloped,thus the difficulty in centralized management,and challenges for the effective monitoring.Considering the dynamics of the field monitoring environment,as well as the diversity and mobility of monitoring targets,traditional WSN(Wireless Sensor Networks)or IoT(Internet of Things)is difficult to meet the surveillance needs.Mobile surveillance that features the collaboration of various functions(camera,sensing,image recognition,etc.)deployed on mobile devices is desirable in a volatile wireless environment.This paper proposes the service function chaining for mobile surveillance of animal husbandry,which orchestrates multi-path multifunction(MPMF)chains to help mobile devices to collaborate in complex surveillance tasks,provide backup chains in case the primary service function chain fails due to mobility,signal strength,obstacle,etc.,and make up for the defects of difficult deployment of monitoring facilities in ethnic areas.MPMF algorithmmodels both mobile devices and various functions deployed on them as abstract graph nodes,so that chains that are required to traverse various functions and hosting mobile devices can be orchestrated in a single graphbased query through modified and adapted Dijkstra-like algorithms,with their cost ordered automatically.Experiment results show that the proposed MPMF algorithm finds multiple least-costly chains that traverse demanded functions in a timely fashion on Raspberry Pi-equipped mobile devices.

Service Function Chain Orchestration across Multiple Clouds

Network function virtualization is a new network concept that moves network functions from dedicated hardware to software-defined applications running on standard high volume severs. In order to accomplish network services, traffic flows are usually processed by a list of network functions in sequence which is defined by service function chain. By incorporating network function virtualization in inter-data center(DC) network, we can use the network resources intelligently and deploy network services faster. However, orchestrating service function chains across multiple data centers will incur high deployment cost, including the inter-data center bandwidth cost, virtual network function cost and the intra-data center bandwidth cost. In this paper, we orchestrate SFCs across multiple data centers, with a goal to minimize the overall cost. An integer linear programming(ILP) model is formulated and we provide a meta-heuristic algorithm named GBAO which contains three modules to solve it. We implemented our algorithm in Python and performed side-by-side comparison with prior algorithms. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm reduces the overall cost by at least 21.4% over the existing algorithms for accommodating the same service function chain requests.

A Software-Defined Approach to IoT Networking

It is foreseen that the Internet of Things (IoT) will comprise billions of connected devices, and this will make the provi?sioning and operation of some IoT connectivity services more challenging. Indeed, IoT services are very different from lega?cy Internet services because of their dimensioning figures and also because IoT services differ dramatically in terms of na?ture and constraints. For example, IoT services often rely on energy and CPU?constrained sensor technologies, regardless of whether the service is for home automation, smart building, e?health, or power or water metering on a regional or national scale. Also, some IoT services, such as dynamic monitoring of biometric data, manipulation of sensitive information, and pri?vacy needs to be safeguarded whenever this information is for?warded over the underlying IoT network infrastructure. This paper discusses how software?defined networking (SDN) can facilitate the deployment and operation of some advanced IoT services regardless of their nature or scope. SDN introduces a high degree of automation in service delivery and operation-from dynamic IoT service parameter exposure and negotiation to resource allocation, service fulfillment, and assurance. This paper does not argue that all IoT services must adopt SDN. Rather, it is left to the discretion of operators to decide which IoT services can best leverage SDN capabilities. This paper only discusses managed IoT services, i.e., services that are op?erated by a service provider.

Value Assessment of Ecosystem Service Function of Ecological Public Welfare Forests in Wenchang City

Based on the measurement parameters and index in the Specifications for Assessment of Forest Ecosystem Services in China(LY/T 1721-2008),the value of ecological service functions of ecological public welfare forest in Wenchang City was evaluated and analyzed.The results show that the total value of ecosystem service function of ecological public welfare forests in Wenchang City is about 4.020 billion yuan,of which storage capacity,water purification,soil fixation,fertilizer(N,P and K fertilizer) conservation,carbon sequestration,oxygen release,forest nutrient accumulation,providing anion,absorbing SO_2,absorbing fluoride,absorbing NxO,absorbing soil heavy metals,dust retention,noise reduction,sterilization,forest protection,forest biodiversity protection,and forest recreation(ecological tourism) are about 1.510 billion,582.256 million,3.769 million,268.220 million,116.360 million,2.747 million,22.682 million,42.817 million,1.722 million,74,600,131,900,187.918 million,77.409 million,28.721 million,43.090 million,180.696 million,571.036 million,and 108.677 million yuan

Thoughts and Practice of Ecological Protection and Restoration of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Farmlands, Lakes and Grasslands

The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that it was necessary to establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,treat the ecological environment as life,and coordinate the management of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands.In recent years,China has organized a series of pilot projects for the ecological protection and restoration of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands,breaking the boundary between administrative divisions,departmental management and ecological elements,and implementing conservation and restoration oriented towards the improvement of ecosystem services,so as to solve the problem of the lack of overall planning for ecological protection and restoration projects and the separated management of ecological elements.This study systematically elaborated the theoretical basis and connotation characteristics of ecological protection and restoration of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands.It proposed the implementation path of ecological protection and restoration project of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands by taking the water source conservation area of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as a case,so as to provide reference for the implementation and decision-making management of ecological protection and restoration projects in various regions.